How common or rare is a Gillette Toggle?

[Copierguy]

I don't understand apparently what to look for in pricing for these toggles. I saw a less than mint, plate-lossy-greenish nickel toggle sell for $299.00 today and a really gorgeous gold toggle sell for only $132.50, both on ebay. Look at them below and tell me why the less-mint one sold for way more?

Welcome to B&B.....

F-4 Gold Toggles are not common but you see a couple, three, or four past through ebay every week.

I've been looking for a Chrome Toogle for a year.... this was the first one I've seen for sale....

I don't know what the production numbers are, but you can get the idea from my year long search.

Best wishes.....

 

[hypo_style]

Welcome to B&B.....

F-4 Gold Toggles are not common but you see a couple, three, or four past through ebay every week.

I've been looking for a Chrome Toogle for a year.... this was the first one I've seen for sale....

I don't know what the production numbers are, but you can get the idea from my year long search.

Best wishes.....

Is that really a chrome toggle? It looks to me like the gold plating is just heavily worn...as is common for these razors. But then, I haven't seen the original listing myself.

As for discrepancies in pricing, I think it's due to differences in listing language, fluctuation in demand, differences in condition and packaging. And I've seen a lot of newish ebayers getting into irrational bidding wars over these Toggles. I was watching two Toggle auctions last week, and it was the same limited pool of bidders driving up the price during the last ten minutes.

 

[Copierguy]

Is that really a chrome toggle? It looks to me like the gold plating is just heavily worn...as is common for these razors. But then, I haven't seen the original listing myself.

If you look closely at the adjusting dial you will start to see the unique design of the chrome toggle. Note the lack of a Red Dot.

Here is a better photo from Mr-Razor's site.

 

[hypo_style]

If you look closely at the adjusting dial you will start to see the unique design of the chrome toggle. Note the lack of a Red Dot.

Here is a better photo from Mr-Razor's site.

Hmmm.
I stand corrected! I never knew such a beastie existed!

 

[K.T.]

Good information. How many Toggles do you think Gillette could have produced in that one year?

K.T.

 

[pz93c]

Is the toggle's domed head more like a high domed Fatboy or lower some Slim?

 

[Jake]

Absolutely! Congratulations sir, that is a rare and fine specimen of the nickel plated Toggle. I suggest posting it in its own thread so you can gain some more views and comments. Great score!

 

[Copierguy]

Absolutely! Congratulations sir, that is a rare and fine specimen of the nickel plated Toggle. I suggest posting it in its own thread so you can gain some more views and comments. Great score!

+1. These do not come around that often. Share your story of the hunt and capture if you have a mind to.

 

[KQY61]

They can't be that rare as they show up on e-bay all the time.
I believe the design must of had some short coming for Gillette as they went with the Fatboy design which evolve into the Slim and later into the Super Adjustable.
The coolness factor is pretty much off the charts.
It's like the Deluxe sets from the 20s and 30s they don't shave better then the standard grade razors but they were a premium products and not as many of them were made as the standard grade razors.

Hi,

My dad had a toggle, but never used it. It was a Christmas present that wound up buried in a drawer. When I found it a couple decades later, he said it was a lousy design (dad was a toolmaker who had no tolerance for lousy designs). He then proceeded to show me how easily it would pop open while in the act of shaving. Once loosened for adjustment, the blade moved around. He said he stuffed it away because of a couple cuts while shaving with it when it popped open. He then proceeded to raise the value of toggles everywhere by taking it to his workbench and whacking it with a ball peen hammer. He did that so I would not retrieve it from the trash to use it.

The question now would be how many toggles acted like his and were trashed. If this occurred often enough, it would stack up on the negative side for Gillette.

Stan

 

[socialjunk95]

I dont see the toggle often! And the ones i have are sold at exorbitant prices.
A toggle recently sold for 560$.
That is a lot for any razor in my opinion!

 

[Rick2035]

Just scored me an F4 Chrome Plated Gillette Toggle, same a shown in the pics above. See my pics here. Are these more rare than the red dot or gold plated version of the Gillette Toggle?

WOW! Congratulations! Nice score.

Happy New Year!

Rick

 

[Rick2035]

Hi,

My dad had a toggle, but never used it. It was a Christmas present that wound up buried in a drawer. When I found it a couple decades later, he said it was a lousy design (dad was a toolmaker who had no tolerance for lousy designs). He then proceeded to show me how easily it would pop open while in the act of shaving. Once loosened for adjustment, the blade moved around. He said he stuffed it away because of a couple cuts while shaving with it when it popped open. He then proceeded to raise the value of toggles everywhere by taking it to his workbench and whacking it with a ball peen hammer. He did that so I would not retrieve it from the trash to use it.

The question now would be how many toggles acted like his and were trashed. If this occurred often enough, it would stack up on the negative side for Gillette.

Stan

I cringed as I read your post. It's okay...I'll get over it.

While I won't question your father's judgement (the man knows how to use a ball-peen!), I've not experienced the slightest issue with my Toggle. Mine (an F4) shaves like a dream.

I normally do a 7-3 two-pass and get a DFS+ to BBS shave without touch up. I could live with it being my only razor.

All the best!

Rick

 

[KQY61]

I cringed as I read your post. It's okay...I'll get over it.

While I won't question your father's judgement (the man knows how to use a ball-peen!), I've not experienced the slightest issue with my Toggle. Mine (an F4) shaves like a dream.

I normally do a 7-3 two-pass and get a DFS+ to BBS shave without touch up. I could live with it being my only razor.

All the best!

Rick

Hi,

Yes, I still mourn the passing of the Toggle. I would have tried to fix it. Of course, Dad knew that as well, and is why he killed it. I will never know if it was truly defective or just the way it acted in his large hands. Today, I wish I still had it, given what folks will pay for one.

Stan

 

[Rick2035]

Stan,

I'm with you, Brother. Hopefully, you still have your father around to give some good-natured grief to about that "incident." If not, I truly wish you have both his memories and wisdom. Men like him are hard to come by these today.

Happy New Year, Stan.

Rick

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

Unfortunately, Dad passed on Christmas Day back in 95. I still have Mom left to give *me* grief, though!

Stan

 

[Redzone]

Great info Gents thank you. I have comparison shaved with 2 F4's and one definately had more bite than the other on the same settings.
I assumed from this that the gap was slightly different which (I assume again) is to be expected on mass produced items?

 

[alex2363]

Hi,

Yes, I still mourn the passing of the Toggle. I would have tried to fix it. Of course, Dad knew that as well, and is why he killed it. I will never know if it was truly defective or just the way it acted in his large hands. Today, I wish I still had it, given what folks will pay for one.

Stan

The Toggles had a reputation for jamming up and freezing the whole mechanism. I think that many users in past may have thought this as a defect or damaged issue and may have tossed them out.

I get the jammed issue and just keep playing with it until it releases.

 

[HoneyBadgerDontCare]

The Toggles had a reputation for jamming up and freezing the whole mechanism. I think that many users in past may have thought this as a defect or damaged issue and may have tossed them out.

I get the jammed issue and just keep playing with it until it releases.

Which probably justifies the one year of production

 

[heysi]

Which probably justifies the one year of production

I'm guessing that the engineering department figured out the bottom dial design (and then moved the adjuster to the top of the razor) and its simplicity and cost savings made the toggle a goner.

 

[Domminigan]

I still think of the advertising toggle that showed up here a few years ago.. Much like this post keeps showing up.